The following review is the opinion of the review's author [Akuta]
and in no way represents the opinions of this website or its staff.

Swmud is by hands down the -best- starwars mud out there and I havetried almost all of them, Swmud is 100% original and nothing stocklike you see on other starwars muds especially ones you see on SWRcodebase or a diku type. Awesome thing about Swmud is that its LPcodebase (I prefer LP muds over diku types, including rom, circle,etc..) and taking into consideration the status of most muds, Swmudusually has at least 10 people on at all hours of the day/nightregardless of time zone and usually peaks to about 20 people now adays. Everyone on the mud is extremely friendly and helpful andeveryone tries to help out every new player that finds their way over.Swmud is not one of those muds that is left in the dust as a'finished' mud because Swmud has an excellent staff of active coderswho are constantly adding new areas, items, tweaking and bugfixing(not that there are alot of bugs) or implementing some playerideas. ..

SWmud is not a heavy roleplaying environment (it's almostnonexistent, in fact). Player-killing is restricted. Quests are notrequired for advancement, though some will be beneficial to that end.

The mud currently has around 40 very large planets and spacestations, with more being added each year. However, if your interestslie more in Space, SWmud has a 3-D space flight system unlike anythingyou might find elsewhere.

New characters start in the creation process where they choose one of31 current races, set up their attributes (Strength, Dexterity,Mechanical, Technical, and Force), and choose their team (Rebel,Imperial, or Neutral). Once set up, they continue by going through anewbie school to introduce them to the most basic commands that theywill need to know, as well as how to find more useful informationshould they need it. After that, they have access to a Newbie line toask questions of Newbie Helpers (NHs) until they reach level 6.

Once you leave Newbie School, you can choose up to 3 of 10 guilds (Assassin, Bounty Hunter, Diplomat, Mercenary, Merchant, Pilot, Scientist, Slicer, Smuggler, andJedi [with some restrictions]). Each guild comes with a variety ofskills that you receive as you gain levels. Each race also comes with2 racial skills. As you use skills, you gain skill proficiency.

From there, newbies (levels 1-4) have the option of going into theNewbie Simulator environment to find monsters (and quests) of theirlevel, or they can venture out on shuttles into the universe forequipment and experience.

Equipment is not saved on SWmud, but it's OK because good equipmentisn't too hard to come by when the mud reboots (every 7 dayscurrently), at least not until you get into the High Mortal levels(20-50). Rebel and Imperial teams also have donation bins where teammembers may donate or borrow equipment left for the team, assumingthey meet the donation restriction of the item.

Diplomat players who reach level 15 may petition to join the PlayerCouncil, which has some ability to help police players, as well as tomarry/divorce players and create/remove Newbie Helpers. Use of thesecommands is strictly monitored for abuse.

And for those wishing to become a Jedi - you can. There are somerestrictions: - You cannot start out with Jedi as your primary guild,only as a secondary. - You must reach level 5 before you can find aJedi Master (an NPC) who will instruct you in the Jedi or Dark arts. -Before the Jedi Master will teach you Jedi skills, you must find aHigh Mortal Jedi sponsor (a player) who will accept you as a padawanor apprentice. Most HM Jedi players have information regarding theirown personal requirements of padawans/apprentices in theirdescriptions.

Partying, or grouping, is available and encouraged with a EXP boost,though you can easily go off on your own to explore new places and/orgather experience for yourself. SWmud has an extremely versatileenvironment.

All of this information and more you can find on the extensive SWmudweb site: http://www.swmud.org. You can essentially learn almosteverything there is to know about playing SWmud from the web sitebefore you ever create a character.

Many people have found it to be a wonderful experience. The mud hasbeen around since 1994, and so have some of the players. If you reallylike the Star Wars universe, you'll really love SWmud!